Wonderland'ed
by FlyingBadgers
Summary: This is my take on the well known story of Alice In Wonderland. C: I am using my own characters, so I would very much appreciate it if no one stole them. My story follows Marley through her adventure in Wonderland, and how it'll effect her life.
1. Character List

Alice: Marley 

Cheshire Cats: Sayrin & Vevette 

Caterpillars: Tobi & Kane 

Tweedle Dee: Keynai 

Tweedle Dum: Zack 

March Hares: Zane & Eli 

Mad Hatter: Ryker 

Door Mouse: Ranai 

Queen of Hearts: Koharu 

King of Hearts: Darien 

Princess of Hearts: Kyla 

Princess's Butler: Sam 

Gate Guards ("Doorknob"): Kurosu, Caden 

Garden Guards ("Flowers") : Gris, Asher, Roxie, Moe 

Forest Guards ("Serpent Bird") : Jacenta, Luke 

Castle Guards ("Cards") : Quinn, Damien, Alex 

White Rabbits: Norum, Izumi 

Dodo : Hayden 

Walrus : Mike 

Carpenter: Casidy


	2. Down The Rabbit Hole

Marley sighed as she leaned against a large oak tree, the long branches shading her from the spring sun. Though the heat wasn't as bad as it would be in summer, for spring in New Hampsire it was sweltering out. So while working out on the garden she decided to find some shade under the oak, which had been planted back when it was a seedling and had grown up with Marley. She remembered the day like it was yesterday, her Father had come home from work early that day and gifted her with the seedling, she was so excited she just had to plant then. It was right before the snow began to fall, and once spring came back around the tree grew like a weed. Marley shook her head, dispelling the memory as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Her Father died six years earlier, he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time; and it just devistated Marley and her Mother- so it still hurt to think about him to this day. Marley sighed and picked up a book that had been lying next to her, trailing her fingers over the title, "Alice In Wonderland: Down The Rabbit Hole... My favorite book since I was little, Dad used to read it to me every night," she muttered to herself and though a frown met her lips she turned the cover page."To my little bunny, love Daddy," she read the note her Father had written on the blank flyleaf before the story actually started. Her lip trembled for a moment before she shook her head yet again, "Stop it Marley," she muttered to herself. She sighed as she flipped the flyleaf and to the first chapter, letting herself slip into Alice's shoes and right into Wonderland itself.  
>Suddenly the sound of twigs snapping caught her attention, and her head shot up from her book, she looked around wildly as she tried to find where it was coming from. Next the sound of hurried footsteps met her ears, and finally when her curiosity met its limit she put her book down and got up from her spot. She looked around for a while and didn't come upon anything, but suddenly a figure rushed past her and caused her to freeze up. The figure stopped and she was able to get a good look at it, it was a boy with black hair dipped in sky blue, it covered his right eye, and weirdly enough a pair of long, white rabbit ears sprouted from his skull and as he turened around Marley noticed he even had a fluffy tail! A utterly confused expression crossed Marley's face as she watched him look around in panic, what was he trying to find? "Uhm, hello there sir! Do you need some help?" She asked as she walked a tad closer to him.<br>He jumped in surprise and instantly turned to her, his eyes wide with fright. "Oh no no no! You aren't supposed to see me! I can't show myself to a human!" He talked quickly, flailing a bit at her, which only increased Marley's confusion.  
>Suddenly there was a large puff of smoke, which blinded Marley and caused her to start coughing. When it blew away all she could see was a rabbit hopping away from her, she stood there for a moment trying to piece together what in the world just happened and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "That's the rabbit-boy!" She shouted as she started chasing after him, "Hey! Hey wait up! Where are you going? I could help you find whatever you were looking for!" She yelled to the boy.<br>The rabbit skidded to a stop near a large hole, giving her a stern look, "You shall stop right there! I can't just bring a human into Wonderland willy-nilly! The Queen would have my head removed!" He shouted with a stomp of his foot.  
>Marley quircked her head, giving him an odd look, "Wonderland? What are you-"<br>She was quickly cut off by the rabbit, "I shan't tell you a thing of it! Now I have no more time for chit-chat, I must go and you must stay! Je dois aller, et vous devez rester!" And with that he skampered down the hold he had been standing in front of.  
>Marley stared at the hole for the longest time, weighing her options, and finally she got on her hands and knees and crawled into the opening. "I hope there ain't any spiders down here," she muttered to herself with a shudder as darkness surrounded her. She hated spiders, the filty little eight legged creeps. She crawled and crawled and begun to think she wasn't getting anywhere, that was when the ground gave out under her hand and set her balance off, sending her down down down. <div> 


	3. The Two Rabbits

Norum landed with a thud on the ground, "I can never get used to that," he muttered to himself as he brushed his clothes off. He quickly dashed off and soon ran into a brunette, who had ears attatched to her skull aswell, the same white as his.  
>"Norum by brother, you're one lucky rabbit that time changes once you're back in Wondeland," she spoke softly, a smirk on her lips.<br>Norum scowled at her, "Not now Izumi, I don't need your sass."  
>Izumi giggled, "I don't understand how you forget that."<br>Norum continued scowling as he pulled out a very large pocket-watch which somehow fit into his pocket, "It said noon five minuets ago! Cing menuets!" He said with frustration as he knocked on the glass of the watch.  
>"Annnd now it says 11 doesn't it?" Izumi asked with a teasing grin, causing Norum to pout.<br>"To make matters worse, I think a human followed me down here. I couldn't stop her Izumi! It's like she was drawn to figuring out where I was going! Ohh I am so going to loose my head," Norum whined as he put the watch away, holding his head as if it hurt.  
>Izumi frowned, bringing Norum into a soft hug, "There's nothing you could of done. Remember? Once a human spots us up there, there's no stopping what happens," she said.<br>He sighed heavily, "Yes I know. And now her future is forever changed by following me here; oh Izumi what am I going to do!"  
>Izumi patted him on the back, trying to console him, "There's nothing we can do but hope that she can be the one to change this world forever," she said in a soft voice.<br>Norum sniffed, resting his head on Izumi's shoulder, "Yeah but what happens if she leaves? We could never go back to normal."  
>Izumi sighed, "I know, but we just have to be willing to take that risk. Who knows Norum, maybe she'll find a reason to stay."<br>Norum nodded, "And hope the Queen doesn't find out too soon," he added as a shudder ran down his spine.  
>"That too, she would be bound to take the head of whoever lead the human here," Izumi said with a frown as Norum snuggled into her. "Don't worry Norum, she'll have to go through me to get you."<br>"Thanks sis... You're always there for me."  
>"That's what I'm for isn't it?" Izumi asked with a grin, causing Norum to chuckle.<br>"Yeah, I suppose so." 


	4. The Gaurds

When Marley woke from her fall, she noticed two things- firstly she was on the ceiling, and second there were two people standing near a large golden gate. She sat up slowly, rubbing her head and wondering why she wasn't falling yet again. She stood up slowly, questioning how this was working but decided not to think about it too much- it hurt her head anyway. Or maybe she bumped it while falling, she couldn't remember. She looked around, trying to find the spot where she had fallen from but it was no use- the hole was gone. "That's... Kinda creepy," she stated to herself. She turned her attention to the two figures standing a ways away from herself, "Maybe they can tell me what in the world is going on," she said as she started walking towards them.  
>"Halt! You are not authorized to come any closer!" The male to the right stated, smashing the handle of the large sword that seemed to appear out of nowhere on the ground. He had long red hair that touched his shoulders and blazing amber eyes, locked instensly on Marley.<br>Marley gulped, taking a step back, "I-I just want to know where I am... And why this room is upsidedown," she muttered softly.  
>"Upsidedown? The room isn't upsidedown, it's always been like this," the red head stated, giving her a confused look.<br>The male of the left snorted, he had short black hair and storm-grey eyes. "Clueless as always," he muttered.  
>Marley glared at him, "Well excuse me if I'm not familliar with the area!" She snapped.<br>The red head blinked, tilting his head, "What do you mean you've never been here before? You look weirdly familiar..."  
>The raven sighed, "Kurosu, can't you remember anything? She's the Alice of legend!" He whispered-shouted to his companion.<br>"You know I heard you right?" Marley deadpanned. "Besides my name isn't Alice," she added with a roll of her eyes.  
>Kurosu stared at her, her words going right one ear and out the other. Suddenly his face brightened, "Ohmygod Caden you're right," he said quickly.<br>"Aren't I usually?" Caden said with a smirk.  
>"Shut up, now Alice-" Kurosu statered.<br>"My name is Marley, for you're information," she said with annoyance.  
>"Really? That's a weird name."<br>"Kurosu's a weird name too."  
>"Touche'. Now Marley, you really have no clue where you are?"<br>"Not a damned clue."  
>"Well then my dear! Welcome to Wonderland!" Kurosu said with an extravagant wave of his arm, a large grin on his lips.<br>Marley was silent, examining him to see if he was trying to pull her leg, but he looked intirely honest. "That's weird... That's exactly what the rabbit-boy said," she said as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
>Caden perked up slightly, "Rabbit-boy?" He echoed.<br>"Yeah. He had black hair and long white ears," Marley said whilst demonstrating the length of his ears.  
>"Norum! Damn it! He has to more careful!" Caden growled with frustration, a two bladed scythe suddenly appearing in his clenched hand, Marley gulped as the scythe seemed to gleam with ruby red blood.<br>"Caden! Calm down! Can't have you going on another rampage, the Queen wouldn't be too happy with you," Kurosu reprimanded, ignoring Caden as he glared off into space and the scythe disapeared. He sighed and turned his attention back to Marley, noticing the scared expression she wore, "Oh don't worry he's got a horrible temper," he said motioning for her to come back. "Now Alice-"  
>"M-Marley, remember?" She said shakily, eyeing Caden cautiously.<br>"Right, right, sorry. Well you see, we can't just let you mosey in through this gate, there's certain rules that we have to follow."  
>"What would those be?" Marley asked curiously.<br>"Well... I... Uh... Caden?" Kurosu asked with a sheepish grin as he looked over to the raven.  
>Caden pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath for a moment. "I am always hungry, I must always be fed, The finger I touch, Will soon turn red," he recited in an almost sing-song way.<br>"So... I have to answer that riddle, and I can get in?" She asked Kurosu, who nodded. She hummed in thought, chewing on her lip as she muttered the rhyme to herself a couple of times before her face brightened and a grin spread over her lips. "It's Fire," she answered.  
>Kurosu grinned, giving her a thumbs up, "Correct! Nice guess!"<br>"She got lucky," Caden shot in. "Open the gate up for the twerp Kurosu," he ordered.  
>Kurosu opened his mouth, about to say something, but quickly closed it and simply glared at Caden. "Yes Maaaaaster," he said in a mocking tone as he stuck his tongue out. Suddenly a shining silver key appeared in his hand, "You ready Marley?" he asked with a grin as he went to open the gate.<br>She nodded, holding her head high, "Open the gate up," she said.  
>Kurosu smiled softly and held the gate open as the lock clicked, "Good luck kid, hope to see you again," he said as Marley walked past him.<br>"You're gonna need the luck," Caden muttered.  
>That was the last thing she heard from the Gaurds as the gate closed behind her and the lock clicked, "Well... It's now or never," Marley said to herself as she walked forwards. <div> 


	5. The Tweedles

Hey, hey Keynai. Hey! Keynai, hey, hey! A male voice spoke as he shook the male next to him, Do you see that? It s a human! It s a human Keynai! He continued to gush, seeming totally unaware of the Keynai character giving him a unamused look.  
>And? Why should we do something about her? Well isn t it our job to distract her? Or somethin along those lines... Keynai sighed, watching as Marley struggled to free herself from a tree. I s pose you re right, he muttered.<br>Yaaaaaay! I hope I make a new friend! Zack cheered as he rushed out from the bushes, surprising the poor girl. Hiya there! I m Zack! And that party-pooper over there is Keynai! He gushed, tail wagging in excitement.  
>Marley stared at the pair in surprise, and confusion. Where the heck did they come from! We re they the reason Caden had wished her luck? She examined them slowly, taking in their brown hair, Zack s impossibly blue eyes, Keynai s chestnut-brown eyes, and the set of dog ears on both their heads as well as the tail attached to their behinds. Uh... Hi, I m Marley, she answered slowly.<br>Nice to meet you Mar-Mar! Oh, do you mind me calling you that? I hope you don t, it s just a fitting nick-name in my opinion, Zack said as he rushed over to her, enveloping her in a large hug.  
>Zack you re scaring the poor girl, let her catch her breath, Keynai spoke in a much slower way then his counter-part, and to honest Marley was glad for that fact, Zack s speech was making her head spin.<br>Th-Thank you... Now... Uhm could I ask you something? Marley asked curiously, stifling a smile as she noticed Zack pouting much like a small child would.  
>Sure, ask any question and we shall answer, Keynai said.<br>Well... Uh I was wondering if either of you two saw a rabbit race by here? Zack instantly perked up, mouth opening to answer her question, but before he could Keynai s hand slapped over it. No we haven t, sorry. Zack licked Keynai s hand, which caused the male to instantly pull his hand away and wipe it on his shirt. Yes we have! Don t lie to her Keynai, that s not nice, he tsked softly at the taller male, causing Keynai to sigh.  
>Marley gave Zack a thankful smile, Which way did he go? She asked curiously, wanting to know where this Norum character had gone off to.<br>Why are you following him? Last time I knew outsiders weren t allowed around here, Keynai asked, narrowing his eyes on Marley.  
>I was curious to know where he was going, and why outsiders aren t allowed around here, Marley retorted with a huff.<br>Zack gasped, covering his mouth in surprise with his hand, Them oysters were curious too, he muttered as he shook his head. Keynai nodded softly, muttering a Mmhmm.  
>Oysters? What in the world are you talking about? What happened to them? Marley asked, not able to keep the questions from escaping.<br>Zack grinned, Oh no no~ I know you simply do not have enough time to listen, you wanna find Norum don t you? He asked with a chuckle.  
>Marley pouted, No no. I have enough time to listen! Zack giggled childishly, Okay~ If you say so~ he said in a sing-song voice as he spun around in a circle, putting an arm over Marley s shoulders. The Walrus and The Carpenter, he started, motioning over to Keynai for him to continue.<br>It was the middle of the morning, and they were looking for some grub... Keynai started, setting the story up.  
>=-= Mike hummed to himself as he walked across the beach, footprint reaching far behind him, Man I m so hungry. I could probably eat a whale if I tried, he spoke to himself, or so it seemed until he turned around to look for his counterpart. Casidy? He asked, looking around like a lost puppy. Suddenly a hand shot up from the sand, and on a normal basis Mike would of been scared of whatever monster was trying to come and eat him this time. But no, he instantly recognized the hand and went over to pull it, finding a body buried under a pile of sand that was attatched to said hand. There you are Casidy! I thought I had lost you forever for a moment there, the man said with a large goofy smile.<br>The woman glared at him, When will you learn to clean the sand out of your ears? I was screaming your name for five minuets! She half-shouted, smacking him roughly in the chest. She continued to grumble to herself as she pulled her shoe out from the sand mountain, pouring sand out from it before placing it back on.  
>Mike rubbed the spot on his chest that she d smacked, a hurt expression on his face. Casidy you re so mean to me, what did I ever do to deserve this kind of treatment? He asked with a pout. Casidy rolled her eyes, ignoring the mans complaints as she continued walking on, yelping as she suddenly lost her footing-yet again-and ended up face planting right into a tide pool. She spluttered as she sat back, trying to get the water out of her nose. Her eyes widened all the sudden as she looked down into the pool, Oi Mike! There s an oyster bed over here! She yelled over to the man, who ran over to her side as quickly as could.<br>Food! Sweetness, I can cook em up and eat them! He said with exuberance, clapping gleefully.  
>I...? Don t you mean we Mike? Uh... Right! We! And it s Walrus Casidy! Remember? Mike asked with a grin, ignoring the glare she sent him.<br>I really don t care about those childish code names, we came up with those years ago Mike, Casidy stated.  
>Mike pouted, Geeze Casidy, are you on your period or something? I mean, you re meaning then usual to me, he half-whined. A yelp escaped his mouth as Casidy smacked him on the back of the head.<br>Focus Mike! Oysters! She snapped, pointing back to the tide pool.  
>Right! Sorry. So I ll lead them out, and while I m doing that, you my dear Casidy shall build up a diner for us to feast, Mike said with a grin.<br>Casidy sighed, but pulled out a hammer from her belt, I guess that s why I m the Carpenter. Right? She asked as she walked off, beginning to go to work.  
>Mike nodded, leaning down to the tide pool, chuckling as the oysters closed their shells. Come now my little friends, there s nothing to be scared of. Would you like to come on an adventure with me, to see where there are cabbages and Kings? He asked in a playful manner, smiling as the oysters re-opened their shells, looking curious and excited.<br>The Mother oysters shook her heavy head, looking behind herself to look at the calender pinned up there. It was the second week of March, according to her calculations, and that was the worse time for young oysters to be going out and about. You should all stay here in the sea, where it s cool and safe, she said.  
>Mike cleared his throat, closing the mothers shell with his finger. Turning back to the baby oysters he smiled, Come now my little friends, I ll show you a wonderful land, with cabbages and kings! He sand, suddenly pulling out a saxophone from seemingly nowhere and begun to play it. As he began to walk away from the tide pool, doing a small jig all the while, the oysters followed closely behind him. He noticed Casidy had finished building the restaurant, so he led the oysters in and sat them around the large table inside. Mike put his saxophone away, grinning at the oysters who were wonderfully oblivious. Before we go on our trip, we shall have a grand meal, and the main dish... Is you! He said as he lunged forwards, capturing the oysters in his arms. He licked his lips hungrily, picking which one he would eat first when he heard the door open.<br>Would you like butter? Casidy asked, causing Mike to jump and let go of the oysters before she noticed them in his arms.  
>Y-Yes! Salt too! He answered quickly, Casidy raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged it off and walked back into the kitchen to get the salt. Meanwhile, back at the table Mike grabbed the oysters all over again, a hungry glaze in his eyes as he chowed down on them. Casidy walked back to the table, sitting down with a platter of bread, butter, and salt. She fixed her napkin on her lap and grabbed her utensils, Oh little oysters, little oysters~! She called in a sing song voice. Casidy sat there for a moment before confusion set in, they weren t anywhere to be seen; she sat forwards and grabbed the menu from in front of Mike only to see all the oyster shells empty, and Mike looking quite satisfied.<br>Uh-Uh... W-Well... I s-should be going... Mike stuttered, grabbing his coat and hurriedly put it on as Casidy death-glared at him. She gave a low, predatory growl as she advanced on Mike, pulling a large mallet from her pocket. T-The time has come! Mike yelped as he dashed from the restaurant, Casidy following close behind him.  
>=-= Those poor oysters, Marley stated with a sigh as she stood up from the log she had sat down on at the beginning of the story.<br>Zack nodded rapidly, but grinned happily at her, Do you wanna hear another story? He asked, his tail wagging with excitement.  
>Marley shook her head, No thank you. I ve spent too much time here, I wanna know where that rabbit-boy went, she said as she started walking away.<br>Zack quickly jumped in front of her, Keynai at his side. What about Old Man Charlie! He asked with exuberance, causing Keynai to chuckle. Oooh! There once was a man, a very old man- No! I must be going, and I m terribly sorry because I have enjoyed my time here, but I must be departing! Marley snapped, feeling bad when Zack s smile fell into a kicked-puppy expression, but walked away all the same. 


	6. The Dodo

Marley regretted walking away from Zack and Keynai, for now she had absolutely no clue where she was going. There was nothing but tall trees, and abnormally large mushrooms to both her sides. I feel like I m going in circles, she groaned in frustration. She leaned heavily on a mushroom well above her head, wiping her forehead of sweat, I ll never find Norum, she muttered, a small pout on her lips. Suddenly she heard a merry hum and looked around to find a male walking along a path that surely wasn t there a few moments ago, he had bright blonde hair, and strangely enough a pair of dark blue/green wings on his back, though they were quite small and probably weren t used for flight. I should be getting used to people having animal appendages, Marley muttered to herself, thinking of Norum aswell as Zack and Keynai.  
>The boy turned, startled, W-Who are you!? He asked, large doe-like eyes frightened.<br>I m Marley, who are you? H-Hayden... The Dodo, he answered, his face flushing with red.  
>Marley tilted her head, Why are you blushing? I-I don t r-really like m-my title... AAs soon as Marley left Zack and Keynai, she lost her way. Damn her sense of direction. All around her was nothing but tall trees and abnormally large mushrooms, varying in all shades of color. She didn't dare go near any of them for she had no idea what they could do. "I am pretty sure I'm going in circles," she muttered to herself as she passed by a purple and yellow mushroom that met her stomach in height. She leaned against a near by tree, making sure to keep away from the red and purple shroom that was growing from it, and wiped her forehead of sweat. "I'll never find my way out of the forest, or Norum for that matter," she sighed heavily. Suddenly a merry hum met her ears, and she turned her head, spying a male walking along a path that seemed to of appeared out of nowhere. He had bright blonde hair, and a pair of dark bluegreen wings on his back, they were incredibly small and didn't look like they could be used for flight. Marley blinked, "What in the world is with all the people that have animal appendages?" She muttered to herself, thinking of Norum aswell as Zack and Keynai.  
>The boy turned to her, his eyes widening in fright, "W-WHo are you!?" He asked.<br>"I'm Marley... Who are you?"  
>The boy looked at her, completly frozen, "H-Hayden... Th-The Dodo," he answered, facing flushing with a brilliant red.<br>Marley raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why he was stuttering so badly, but decided not to ask. "How long have you been walking on that path?"  
>"Uh... F-For a w-while... Why?"<br>"Because it was not there a moment ago..."  
>"Oh, y-yes... T-That happens."<br>Marley gave him a weird look, then sighed heavily, "Alot of things tend to appear out of nowhere-I shouldn't be surprised," she muttered to herself. She looked to him, "Would you mind helping a girl in need?" She asked with a sheepish grin.  
>Hayden tilted his head, "Do you need to get somewhere?" He asked, his stutter suddenly gone.<br>While Marley found it rather curious for his stutter to be gone, she once again didn't ask about it. "Well, it's not a where, but a who. I'm following the rabbit-boy Norum."  
>"Norum?" Hayden repeated, thinking for a moment before his face lit up. "Oh! Yes, I know the way to where they live!" He said with a smile.<br>"...They?" Marley asked.  
>"Yeah, Norum and Izumi! The two White Rabbits!"<br>"There's two of them?"  
>"Uh-huh. They live down this way," Hayden answered as he pointed south.<br>Marley followed his hand, "Uh... Would you mind...?"  
>Hayden smiled, "Of course not, follow me!" He said cheerfully as he walked past her, more of the path appearing at his feet as he walked with Marley at his side.<br>"How is the path appearing before you?" Marley asked, confused and amazed at the same time.  
>Hayden shrugged, "I dunno. It happens where ever I go, I guess it's in case I get lost, or something," he said.<br>Marley nodded, "I see. That surely is strange," she stated, earning a grin from Hayden.  
>"Wonderland is filled of strange things my dear." Soon enough they arrived at the little cottage, a pale yellow in color with two windows at the front, and white door; a small fence enclosed the area, little gardens of flowers littering the yard, a cobblestone path down from the door to where Hayden and Marley were standing. "Well here we are, I unfortunantely won't be joining you inside," Hayden said as he opened the gate up for Marley.<br>"What? Why not?" Marley asked with a whine, she didn't want to face the two rabbits alone.  
>"Well, Izumi is kinda crazy, and she scares me so I like to stay away from her," he explained with a shrug.<br>Marley gave him a panicked look, "How crazy are we talking about?"  
>"Oh, no, no. Not like that, don't worry she's actually very nice. Just... Eccentric," Hayden explained with a soft laugh.<br>Marley pouted, "Fine," she muttered as she walked through the opened gate and down the cobblestone path, only to stop and turn around, seeing that Hayden was nowhere to be seen she turned back around with a sigh. "Well it's now or never," Marley muttered to herself as she lifted her hand, knocking loudly on the door. 


	7. The Cheshire Cat

After walking down the path that lead from the cottage Marley ran into a fork in the road, a sign sitting right in the middle, with an arrow pointing to both sides of the road. One read 'Over the rainbow', and the other read 'I wouldn't go this way if I were you'. "Well that's no help at all," Marley stated with an annoyed sigh. She wanted to know which way Izumi and Norum had gone off to, though she heard Norum say they were going to see the Queen, she was still terribly curious to see why they were. Eventually she made a decision to go down the path that read 'Over the rainbow'.  
>"I wouldn't go dat wah if I were ya'~" A voice called out playfully, causing Marley to pause and look around in panic-there was no one around so where could that voice of come from? She backtracked to the sign and turned towards the path that read 'I wouldn't go this way if I were you'.<br>"Or dat way~ Leads ta a man eatin' Snid, vicious creature it is," the voice called out again, followed by an amused chuckle.  
>"Then which way am I supposed to go!?" Marley snappedd, annoyed. There were only two paths! She had no other choice.<br>"Oh dat's quite simple actually~ Ya' 'ave ta go through da middle," sang the voice. Suddenly right in front of Marley a boy appeared, standing well above her, he had black hair with purple and read streaks through it, along with a pair of cat ears and a tail.  
>Marley was a little more then surprised by his appearance, and ended up falling backwards with a squeak, "What middle path!" She asked as he helped her up.<br>"Look closer mah dear, an' you'll see it." He said with a cattish grin.  
>Marley gave him a weird look but ended up kneeling next to the sign, seeing a small path that lead through the grass, but there was no way she would fit through it. She looked back to him, "Are you crazy? There's no way I'll fit through there... Who the hell are you anyway?" She asked as she stood back up, placing her hands on her hips in a irritated manner.<br>He bowed to her, rolling his hand in front of him as he did, "Sayrin Hunter at yer service. I'm known as da Cheshire Cat," he greeted with a grin as he straightened.  
>"I'm-"<br>"Marley. Yes, I know. I've heard of ya', Outsider," Sayrin finished, grin growing as she gave him a surprised look. "I'm da type of person ta know everythin' dat's goin' on 'ere," he said.  
>"O...Kay then. How do you propose I fit down this path?" Marley asked.<br>"Before I tell ya' dat, tell me, who are ya' followin'?"  
>"I thought you were the type of person to know everything about what's going on," Marley stated with a smirk.<br>He gave her an annoyed look, his visible eye narrowed at her, "I know what's goin' on wit the occupants of Wonderland, ya' are not one of those."  
>"Oh.. Well, I'm following Norum and Izumi, they're going to see the Queen and I want to know what for," Marley answered in a small voice.<br>Sayrin brightened at Norum's name, a grin growing across his lips, "Yer followin' Norum ya' say~?" He asked in a sing-song voice.  
>"Uh... Yes, that's correct."<br>"Ah I love dat boy," Sayrin muttered, loud enough for Marley to hear. He dazed off for a moment, a dorky grin on his lips.  
>"Sayrin, hello? How do I get down that path?" Marley asked as she waved her hand in front of his face.<br>Sayrin blinked, "Ah. Yes, drink dis," he said as he offered her a small crystaline bottle with a little tag on it that read "Drink Me".  
>"Oh no, no, no. Izumi told me not to eat, or drink, anything from this world. It does weird things to outsiders."<br>Sayrin rolled his eye, "If ya' want ta get down dat path, it's da only way."  
>Marley looked from him, then to the bottle, then back to him. "Fine," she grumbled as she took the bottle from his hand.<br>Sayrin grinned, "I'll see ya' later then Marley," he said as he suddenly disappeared.  
>Marley stared at the spot he had been standing in for a moment, before unplugging the bottle and drank the liquid inside. Her bones seemed to crunch as she shrunk in size, standing about thee inches or so. "Well then," she muttered as she placed the bottle in her pocket just in case she needed it for something. She turned towards the path, taking a breath in she began traveling down it. <div> 


	8. The Caterpillars

Marley gave an annoyed sigh as she pushed a branch away from her path, well... It seemed like a branch to her. But in all reality it was just a small stick, it was just 10 times harder to do things at her current height. After she pushed the stick from the path, she quite literally ran into the stem of a very large mushroom. She fell back with a yelp, landing hard on her tailbone. She whined softly as she rubbed the bone, jumping as a voice sounded above her.  
>"Oh! I found the source of the earthquake Kane!" A feminine voice called, a head popping over the rim of the mushroom, grinning down at Marley.<br>"Uhm... Hi there? What earthquake? I didn't feel anything..." Marley asked in confusion.  
>The girl giggled, "When you ran into the stem it caused an earthquake up here, or a shroom quake as I like to call it," she said as she patted the mushroom affectionately. "It caused quite a mess up here for us, if I do say so," she added as she looked back over her shoulder.<br>"Uh... Us?" Marley asked, only seeing one person.  
>The girl turned her attention back to Marley, "Yeah! Kane, he's up here too. You wanna meet him?" She asked with a grin, and quickly unrolled a ladder down to the ground, not even waiting for Marley to answer.<br>Marley sighed, "What's the harm...?" She muttered to herself as she climbed up the ladder. Once on the top, she saw the girl heading over to a silver haired male with glasses. The girl seemed alot shorter then the two of them, though that was hard to do considering Marley's current height, and she had brown hair with bright neon blue streaks through her hair. The shroom itself was incredibly large, and was a bright orange in color, but nothing seemed wrong with it like the girl had said.  
>"Hi there! I'm Tobi, and this is Kane," the girl introduced, first motioning to herself then to the male.<br>Kane took a sip from what looked like a straw attatched to a golden hookah that was placed in front of him and Tobi, "Who are you?" He questioned, purple colored smoke escaping from his lips and forming a question mark.  
>Tobi was suddenly very close to Marley, their noses almost touching, her seafoam eyes staring into Marley's soul. "Yeah, who are you~?" She repeated in a more of a sing-song voice before sitting next to Kane, picking up her own straw and took a sip from it.<br>"U-Uh... Well... I'm honestly not sure anymore, I've been called names other then my actual name," Marley answered with a sheepish laugh.  
>"Who are YOU!?" The two asked in unison, a large puff of blue and green smoke escaping from their lips and forming multiple question marks.<br>Marley backed up slightly, "M-M-Marley!" she answered, coughing as the smoke floated around her head, trying to wave it away in vain.  
>Kane leaned back slightly, a content smile on his lips as he sipped at his straw, "That's a lovely name dear," he said. Tobi nodded in agreement, blowing out a red smoke cloud that wrote out Marley's name in cursive.<br>Again Marley started coughing, "T-Thanks," she managed.  
>"So, tell us Marley, how did you manage to get down to this size?" Kane asked, yellow and red clouds appearing this time, forming two pictures-one of Marley at her current height, and one before she had drunk the potion.<br>"Well, Sayrin gave me this bottle, and when I drank it, I ended up shrinking," she answered as she took out the bottle from her pocket and let the two see it.  
>Tobi giggled, "That's Sayrin for you. He's a bit of a trickster, but it was indeed the only way to do things."<br>"Uh-huh... So, do either of you know how I could get back to my original size? Being this small has many disadvantages to what I was trying to do," Marley asked.  
>Suddenly Tobi shot up, anger brewing in her eyes, "And what would those disadvantages be exactly?!" She growled, a large plume of grey smoke winding around Marley.<br>"N-Nothing! I'm just n-not used to it!" Marley choked out, the smoke suffocating her. Tobi growled, but slowly sat down, the smoke around Marley clearing out soon after. "One side shrinks, one side grows. Pick your poison," she muttered.  
>"Side of what exactly?" Marley asked, confused.<br>"Recite your lessons!" Kane snapped all the sudden, causing Marley to jump.  
>"How doth the little busy Bee improve each shining Hour-" she started, but was quickly cut off by Kane.<br>"Wrong! It's how doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail, and pour the waters of the Nile on every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, how neatly spreads his claws, and welcomes little fishes in with gently smiling jaws!" He recited, differnet colored plumes of smoke escaping his lips as it played out the poem.  
>Marley sighed, "That's great and everything... But you didn't answer my question, the side of what?" She asked again, hoping to get an answer this time around.<br>Tobi looked to her, "You seemed stressed, would you like a sip? It'll calm you down," she asked as she offered Marley her straw.  
>"No, thank you. Side of what?" Marley asked again, tired of her question being directed somewhere else.<br>"THE MUSHROOM!" They shouted in unison, a large plume of multi-colored smoke errupting from them and covered the whole top of the mushroom.  
>Marley coughed, her lungs burning as the smoke went down her throat. The smoke fadded away and Marley took a large gasp of fresh air, holding her torso in pain as she curled in on herself. After she caught her breath, she found herself alone, no trace of Kane or Tobi. She sat there for a moment, then realized her question had finally been answered. "One side shrinks, one side grows," she muttered to herself as she slowly got up, walking to the middle of the shroom and took a piece from each side. She looked back and forth between the pieces, debating on which piece would do what. She shrugged, "I guess I just have to figure out for myself," she said as she licked the piece that was in her right hand. Pain shot through her as she stretched up, and she found herself at her original height. "Well then," she muttered as she put the pieces in her pocket, one to each pocket, just in case she needed them later on. She looked down and found it rather curious that she had not smooshed the mushroom Kane and Tobi had been living on, she shrugged and slipped down from it and landed back on the path, finding it at a size that could fit her now. "This place just gets weirder and weirder," she muttered with a sigh as she began moving once more. <div> 


End file.
